Are We Green?

I really hate to even blog about our "greenness" but it's a question that we do get asked. I dislike it mostly because it feels a little like we are jumping in with the latest hype to convince everyone how they should spend their dollars with us...because we care more for the planet. To be honest we never did "go green." There has never been a green-initiative here. How could we go green? We have always recycled our iron, always used recycled iron. We finish our products with non-toxic, non-VOC coatings which are baked hard with Natural Gas, which is an abundant resource right here in the hills of Arkansas. Most of the energy we consume is human energy, and the people who do it love it, and choose to live a simple life here in the hills of the Natural State.

My son brought a little fan to me the other day. Three of the five blades had broken off and he wondered if we might fix it. We threw it away...just like the five others before it. Right into a land fill somewhere. It was made to be disposable, not fixable. Planned obsolescence is real, and it has a huge impact to the environment. I started thinking about the scores of cheap little import fans we have gone through in this country, over the last decade. They just don't last because they just don't make them like they used to.

Well...we do! We make furniture, lighting and home decor...just like they used to! Hand-forged, by hammering steel into shape using a combination of sheer finesse, and brute force.

One of my team members was visiting with a customer in a busy area, and was approached by a woman who recognized the Stone County Ironworks logo on her shirt. This kind lady spoke up and explained that she had been using the same SCI barstools for 20 years, and she loved them. Needless to say, the customer was impressed...although she probably thought it was all brilliantly staged!

The truth is, that woman will never again have to buy a replacement barstool. Never! If it did break we would fix it for her. I remember when we refinished a fire tool set that had been through a house fire once. It looked great, and had much more value to that family than before. Most of the energy required to make that fire tool set, or the kind lady's barstool, was human energy. And most others would have been replaced three times by now.

If everything were built the way we still build things every day at Stone County Ironworks..."green" wouldn't be a marketing concept...It would be a way of life!

Click on the link below for a peek.

Corky Baker

President and Chief Ecologist

Are We Green Video?

Hunters Retreat

Recently we completed some work for a hunting club which included several very nice pieces...almost all of which were pure custom and ranged from outdoor lighting, fire-tools (with amazing hand-forged antler handles) and seating, to a large copper lazy-susan and custom iron hangers for the crystal stemware above the bar.

The huge bar top was hand-fired copper with a lightly textured iron frame in natural black. It had to be built in three sections, and the copper was inlayed and lightly textured. The bar was surrounded by Rushton barstools with a rust finish, and hand-fired copper weave in the backs.

We even made a floor mounted foot rest for the bar, from 1.5 inch diameter round stock that had decorative mounting brackets.

The outdoor lighting was capped in fired copper, powder coated, and featured amber art glass which casts a warm glow on the exterior of the rustic setting.

The club wanted their logo displayed prominantly, so we plasma-cut the delicate elements and sillouetted them on the firescreen. The look thrughout the lodge was incredable and we were fortunate to be major players in the decor. The pieces we made had a huge range...from very functional to highly decorative.

I have included some shots that will hopefully inspire you!

Sincerely,

Corky Baker

President and Chief Hunter Dude

Great Show in Las Vegas!!!

I admit that Las Vegas isn't exactly my kind of town. But, we had a fantastic show! By far we had more traffic than any other exhibiter in our area. Our booth was very attractive, the product was beautiful, and my team did a fantastic job putting it all together. We featured several different products, including some new items and collections that had not previously been to market.

The show-stoppers included the Whisper Creek collection, Sequoia, and Barnwood! The biggest shocker for me was barnwood. I knew we had a special product that does a wonderful job replicating the beauty that occurs in nature...but retailers and designers were shocked and delighted! I think our new products hit the ball out of the park!

We ended up with over 100 new account prospects that will likely result in a lot of added business for our company! Now we have to do the hard work of following up with samples, literature and design activity to bring these new clients onboard.

We had several new rep groups that were very interested in our program. Next week we will be making decisions about a few of those potential new relationships.

There was a lot of excitement around our custom capabilities. We had close to a dozen custom items in the booth...examples of outstanding work that has gone through our custom business this year. This is one of the ways that we stay fresh and on trend!

There were so many compliments from our customers and clients too. It was very good for me to hear. I'm a problem solver by nature and experience, so it's easy to find myself preoccupied with what isn't working so great. In the end, I was reminded once again, that we have a great company that people admire and respect. We have some wonderfully dedicated employees and customers too. I am very grateful for that! So, thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Corky Baker

President, Chief Problem Solver

Design in Real Time

I am constantly amazed at how much more buautiful a forged iron piece is, than the sketch that tried to bridge the chasm between creativity and actual! We try to depict what we want a piece to look like by sketching it for our clients. One would think that a drawing, which isn't burdoned with the real constraints of the actual iron required to make something, would produce the better rendition. But it doesn't!



Recently we worked with a client to design a piece using thick, chunky metal that was textured, twisted and drawn into shapes that we call Sequoia because of the massiveness on the work. I was excited about the sketch...but the actual piece was far more beautiful. And it happens all the time...even in real life.

It is a thrill when an artist sucessfully captures the essence of a sitting subject on canvas or film...but that isnt the person. Who could be more skilled at depicting his subject than da Vinci? And as much as we think we understand the Mona Lisa, I am certain that the real subject of that masterpiece was far more interesting, more beautiful and more delightful in person. It just works that way some how!


Corky Baker

A Client Honors Her Family

Back in May I wrote about how inspired we all were when the Duggar family came to Stone County Ironworks. We spent the day together building a family tree and a gold leaf for each member of the family, while TLC filmed an episode of 19 Kids and Counting and it was a great time. Since then we created a Family Tree category for our product line and we have been excited to hear from others who wanted to honor their families by exhibiting a hand forged family tree in the home.

The tree shown here was completely custom. The grown children decided to go together to purchase a tree for the Grandparents as a gift for their golden anniversary. They went to great lengths to communicate how eash branch was to be constructed...how many leaves were needed now, and how many additional leaves might be needed in the future. We took that information and sketched a tree specifically for the Cowan family...and turned our chief custom blacksmith loose on the project. What he created is a masterpiece!

Beautifully forged limbs, twisted and shaped. Roots that look like they belong to an ancient old oak tree. There is even a branch that is short and appears cut-off, signifying the sudded end to a precious life cut short. The family kept and honored his place on the tree.

I think every home should honor those who came before us...who made life possible...who deserve to be remembered long after they leave this world. What better way that with an heirloom quality treasure that will more than likely, out last us all!

Corky Baker

President, Chief Tree Climber

It Pays to be Kind

I was floored when I saw the finished piece yesterday! It is a hand carved wooden bowl from a burly hardwood, nested in a hand-forged branch that follows the contour of the bowl. It's absolutely stunning. The images here don't capture just how beautiful this piece really is. What is interesting about this piece is the circumstance under which it was made. We made it for a man and his wife. We have never met them. They didn't ask for the piece, but I know they will love it. You see, last summer we created a large custom order for a new commercial property in California. After we shipped we were informed that the new development lost financing during the banking crisis and had no way to pay the balance owed...which was a large number!

It was painful for our company and we were advised to go after them with any legal remedy at our disposal. We didn't. We stayed in contact as best possible. Theresa (our accounting manager) was very complimentary of the man who is at the helm. We believed him when he said he was trying to pay us. They loved the work we did. So, for good or bad, we trusted him. His response was so impressive that I Googled this man to find out more about him. What I found was that he had recently married! So, I searched and found a gift registry for their wedding, and saw that they had an unfulfilled request for a carved wooden bowl which was no longer available. It took some time, but I found a beautifully carved bowl and commissioned the hand forged base in our shop. I gave it to Daniel...who is a wonderful master blacksmith...and I just let him go with the project. His work is amazing!


Today we will add gold to the delicate leaves, and I will write a note thanking the man who owes us so much money, for the promise he has made to pay...And I will send the bowl and base as a gift from Stone County Ironworks. Some would question my approach. But this economy has presented a tough ride for many business people. A little grace extended...goes a long, long way. Next time, it might be me.


Corky Baker
President, CEO

Duggar Family Tree

Tonight the Duggar/Stone County episode airs on TLC...It's called Duggar Heavy Metal. Everyone around our small town (Mountain View, Arkansas) is pretty excited. Some of us will gather at the Inn at Mountain View to watch the show together. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. We had a great time when the Duggars were here. I have known them for 5 years. Great friends and a wonderful testimony to the value and importance of family. We built a Duggar Family Tree that day...Hand forged with a wonderful organic shape. It was truly a piece of art. The roots of this magnificant tree sit on top of a wonderful hardwood base which has an iron plaque with the family name. Each of the kids played a part in making a gold leaf for the tree. We had a really special friend (who knows how to write small) come over to the forge...and she sat with each one of the children and wrote their names and birthdays on the back of their special leaf. After all of the leaves were hung on the Duggar Family Tree, we presented Jim Bob (dad) with a few more leaves...just in case!


Well, we were so inspired by that tree that we decided to create two different tree styles for other families that wanted to display their family tree. You can see them here at http://www.stonecountyironworks.com/categories/Shop-Products/Family-Trees/.


Every detail is hand-forged by one of our gifted artisans making every tree unique! The limbs are textured, twisted and shaped by experienced hands to replicate the majesty of an established old hardwood tree with enough character to lean against the wind. This is an heirloom quality piece that will be treasured for generations to come. Each tree comes with a twin-leaf pair to serve as a family starter mounted in the highest place of honor on the tree. We will also include a gold pen, for capturing the names and birth dates of each family member. There are 30 mounting places on each tree. Additional hand forged leaves are available individually as doubles (for couples or twins) and singles (in sets of ten). Each leaf is unique like the person it represents, and tastefully finished by hand in beautiful gold tones. This tree is truly work of genuine hand-forged artistry made right here in the hills of Arkansas by renowned Stone County blacksmiths.


My wife and I have six children. We plan to build our own family tree! It's the most important thing I do.


Corky Baker

President and Chief Keeper of the Tree

I’m Grateful for Your Skill

Our custom group did it again!

I get really excited and proud when I see the potential of our custom division come shining through. The drink trolley we produced was a rush project for a grand opening. And this particular hotel is a wonderful paradise. They spared no expense in their desire to see that guests were served with something far greater than utilitarian carts. The mix of iron and wood in this piece struck a perfect balance, and the functionality just made this piece even more beautiful. Notice the drawer. It is literally carved from a single piece of hardwood…no glue ups here. The idea was to have a small place for refuse, but the drawer also provided a nice pouring deck that could then retract into the upper cavity following the curve of the iron. The glass rack and a conveniently towel bar are located just under the upper deck.

As it turns out the cart was engineered to be super heavy…which also made it very quiet. Trust me, no one was running through the halls at 20 mph pushing this tank...and nothing rattled! Bottles nestled son nicely in the lower part of the trolley for display.

It is a very nice piece. I want to just say thanks to Daniel who took the lead on the iron, and Neil who did such a nice job with the wood work on this trolley. Good job guys! It’s great to have talent on board!

Corky Baker
President and Chief Bottle Washer

Old Red Barn

I'm not sure why old barns are so appealing to people. I admit that I love seeing a beautiful old barn…weathered and worn with time. You can oftentimes see remnants of red paint and it reminds us of the hours spent with a brush to give that once new barn its first (and usually only) coat of paint. When you look up close, you can see the grooves in the wood, created by wind and dust and rain over the course of 100 years. Every piece of wood ages differently…develops its own character.

As a boy I watched my grandfather in his little woodshop. He made picture frames and shelves from old barn wood. As a young man I found myself following in his steps. I would drive the countryside looking for an old barn and a willing farmer whose generosity enabled my next barn-wood project. I wished that I could do to a newer piece of wood, what took 100 years of nature to accomplish.

After many failed experiments over two decades, I had a “eureka moment” in my shop, and held for the first time, a piece of barn-wood made from new lumber, that made it past my self-imposed requirement of authenticity. I rushed into our house and laid it next to my grandpa's picture frame. Indistinguishable! I still have that piece.

I later built a small machine to prove out the concept. It worked! At this moment, we are building production equipment that will allow us to make weathered wood...hints of red...black stains from rusty old nails...gray sun bleached edges. The advantage is to using new wood is there are no rotten edges or lead-based paints. Plus we have dimensional stability because the wood is kiln dried…

Our plan is to build beautiful table tops with iron strapping, lamp bases...even barn-wood and iron beds. We can also provide bulk barn-wood lumber for rustic interiors with the ability to produce custom hues and colors. I am very excited about barn-wood! I only wish my grandfather could be here to enjoy it with me.

Corky Baker
President and Chief Innovator

In Memory Of Bryans Dad...

Wow. Today we had some visitors…A son, a daughter, a cute little granddaughter and a widow who misses her man. Bryan, the son, had wanted to find a way to honor the life and passion of his recently departed father. His dad loved Mountain View, he loved mountain music, and he admired the art of blacksmithing. So, being an animator and designer who works in the movie industry in LA, he designed the perfect memorial...a very unique park bench with musical notes and a plaque honoring his dad. And then Bryan commissioned Stone County Ironworks to build it. And we did.

It looks wonderful, sitting in a prized location where the bluegrass pickers gather every evening to work their magic in the cool mountain air...downtown by the square, here in the bluegrass capitol of the planet. But today, the family flew and drove to our peaceful town in the hills, and saw the bench for the first time. It brought tears. We are grateful to be a part of a young man's quest to honor his dad. They toured the forge. Took lots of pictures, and left feeling both fulfilled and a little empty. Dad would have loved everything about what we do. Stone County Ironworks really is a very special place.

Corky Baker
President and Neighbor

Get a Corner on The Market

Not literally! I just want people to know what a wonderful thing a simple textured iron corner is. It completely changes the table! Adds a tremendous amount of value. OK...it’s nice to be able to protect the corners of a beautiful wooden table top, but I think this corner is much more about the look! It even feels great! It’s not just Western, although it certainly works for that kind of decor...but it’s almost Mediterranean. We made these for a nice custom order…80 tables all together. The tables were designed for a wonderful upscale resort on the coast. The table tops turned out so nice that we wanted to protect them…but I ended up falling in love with these corners. Anyway, sometimes it’s the garnish that sets off the plate. In this case…the garnish was a simple textured corner, hand-made in Americas Blacksmith Shop! Let's eat!

Corky Baker
President and Chief Garnisher

Hammering Creates Character

You might not be able to tell from the image, but this is a very big leaf! It's 12" to 14" long and probably 6" wide. We made it from flat plate by pounding the leaf with a huge hammer until it puckered between the veining to give it a nice organic shape. When it was flat...it was pretty unimpressive. Just a lifeless hunk of metal...a tropical leaf wannabee. But the heat and pressure of the pounding it took began to build character and form. With all of the cupping and shaping, the leaf became work-hardened so it is very strong now. The textures made it perfect for gold and bronze highlighting which really made this leaf special.

The same happens to us in life. Life can hit hard sometimes. The tough spots, the hammering we all take through difficult moments...will either make a mess of things, or help shape us into a thing of beauty.

Corky Baker

President and Chief Leaf

The Nature of Iron

People are mesmerized by when they see what we do here. It’s a tension of contrasts…Converting cold, lifeless iron into warm, wonderfully crafted organic shapes that reflect the beauty of nature. The feeling we get when we find the perfect oasis outdoors is extended somehow, when we bring nature into the spaces where we live, work and play. That is why the artisan blacksmiths here at Stone County Ironworks love the challenge of replicating nature in so much of what we do. Basic blacksmithing techniques haven’t changed in 200 years. Nor has the source for inspiration. We still look at nature to help us innovate. The perfect scroll, for example, is demonstrated so wonderfully in the shape and structure of the nautilus. The textures and colors of an interesting branch are amazing when replicated in iron. Every day our gifted blacksmiths labor meticulously over a single hand-made pine cone, or a leaf…in an effort to make someone, somewhere say…”wow.” We have over 1500 items in our portfolio…and our custom group can make anything we don’t have. We want to help people select or dream-up the perfect item so that we can make it right here in the hills of Arkansas. When others are inspired by our work…we are inspired to work even harder! Our simple desire is to make something beautiful, that people will treasure…a work that replicates the beautiful outdoors… It’s the nature of iron.

Corky Baker

President and Chief Naturalist

I Love Our Place!

Stone County Ironworks started as a modest blacksmith shop...literally a one-man show. So now...30 years later...even though we have almost 80,000 square feet of manufacturing space in several buildings...we still enter through a modest front entryway that looks just like an old blacksmith shop. It's a daily reminder of our roots...where we came from.

When people visit the forge they are always surprised and delighted. Surprised with how big our operation is and delighted with just how small we seem. I guess that front entry is helping somehow! I hope we always remain humble and grateful for the opportunity to do what we do every day. It is a privilege to serve our customers...it's an honor to be Americas Blacksmith Shop!

Corky Baker
President

Innovation Rules!

Innovation rules! We worked and worked to try to find a way to create hand forged bamboo. It's tricky though because bamboo has these interesting double ring hump things every so many inches up the stalk. Anyway...Tiny (who isn't) one of our master blacksmiths figured out how to do it and it looks so realistic! A lot of what we do replicates nature...not all...but a lot. Pine, Sequoia, Aspen and Birch, Sassafras, Vineyard...These are all very organic looks and we have a large market for that style of forge iron. But bamboo? Who would have thunk it? Anyway we built several items. A beautiful bamboo bed using iron lashing to wrap the joints. An incredible bamboo lamp with delicate bamboo leaves that look so realistic. I'm not sure what to do with it yet. I would love to get your feedback. The look is really different from anything we produce today. Its hip and kind of sophisticated in an elegant way. I like it a lot. It really looks rich in hand rubbed bronze with 24k gold accents on the leaves. I hope you like it too. If you have some creative ideas as to how we might make use of this very distinct look...Let us know!

Corky Baker
President and Chief Feeder of Koala

Beautiful custom coffee table

Wow we made the most beautiful custom coffee table today. It is huge! The top measures almost 5’ x 5’ and is clad with hand fired copper. It was a real challenge because we can source copper only in 48” x 10’ sheets…so we worked with our client to devise a way to make the table in three sections…and then we joined them back together.
We used metal straps to cover the joints, and hand finished them to coordinate with the warm, natural patinas found on the copper. The straps were essentially a band-aid…but they added such a wonderful dimension to the table. It’s so interesting how that happens. It’s a lot like life. We are so quick to judge the imperfections! And the techniques we use to overcome them add such a wonderful shade of character to our lives. These straps have somehow become the crowning element to an already wonderful piece. I had my doubts…but I just as easily could have expected something wonderful. Wow.

Corky Baker
President and Chief Table Dude

New e-commerce website

My team and I are working so hard to get our consumer e-commerce site launched. I have mixed emotions. We are committed to selling the way that people wish to buy. And while we have had a fairly extensive web presence for a long time...through other web retailers...other companies just can't afford the investment required to sell 50,000 different options...finishes, upholsteries and wood species online. It's up to us!

I don't relish the idea of our valued customers thinking that Stone County is a competitor. We are searching for great store-locator software so that we can point folks to brick-and-mortar and even e-commerce stores.

In the old days they would probably find 50 to 100 Stone County items on display...even more sometimes. We still have some stores that try to carry a real selection. Not as many though. And those that carry a large selection do very well. So we decided that it is best for all concerned, that we go online. We will be launching in the next week or two. If you have questions or concerns call me. I'm open 24-7!
Corky Baker
President

Spending a day with the Duggar family

Our company spent the day with the Duggar family of TLC and Discovery fame. They are a great family from Northwest Arkansas with 19 children. They brought two camera crews and toured Stone County Ironworks. The episode that they filmed will likely air sometime in May. It was a lot of stress to prepare for…but a lot of fun! We had bluegrass music on the square and the Duggars sang I'll Fly Away. We served a fine BBQ lunch to the Duggars and our Blacksmiths...catered at the forge by Mikeys Smoked Meats…and then we all watched as one of our master blacksmiths built an incredible tree complete with textured bark and one of those squirrel holes in the trunk.
It was so beautiful and realistic. The Duggar kids, dressed in way-too-big blacksmith aprons and gloves, helped bend and shape the hot iron to make that tree. They also learned all about blacksmithing, a tradition that’s pretty important around here! Then the kids each got a shot at some part of leaf-making. The leaves ultimately ended up hanging on the tree that we made…The Duggar Family tree. One leaf for each child. It was amazing. 19 leaves…plus two more. One more for Joshua’s wife Anna, and another for their first child (grandbaby number one of many I am sure) McKenzie.
We had a wonderful time. The tree was mounted to a beautiful cedar wood base with an inscription…Children are a blessing from the Lord. You know what? I really believe that! Yeah.

Corky Baker
President and Chief Leaf Maker

We do custom designs

I love the fact that we do custom designs for people and projects. It has a way of keeping us sharper. We benefit from all of the creative energy...we get to work with great designers...we develop new ways to approach the iron business and it make it a lot of fun. We have a large customer who has a role...and individual who travels the globe looking for interesting objects as inspiration. They found an ancient iron clock face...yes a clock face...kind of like a Big Ben clock face. It was old and rusty...the white paint discolored and chipped with age and exposure to the elements.
Well, they decided to make a headboard from the old clock, and then approached Stone County to see if we could replicate it for them. Wow...what a challenge. Not the iron so much. That was doable...but the finish? Well we did it. And it is AWESOME! Our finish artisans were able to replicate wear, cracking, chips, rust... I am so fortunate to be surrounded with great people who love the craft. We want to use our skills to make people happy. When we make the complete bed I will try to let you have a peek!
Corky Baker
President

Our Custom Business is Making a Difference for our Partners

In times of reduced market activity and economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make every contact with our clients and customers count. The same is true for our retail and designer clients. We all simply have to be in a position to deliver exactly what they want…when they want it. Our business depends on it. I feel like our job at Stone County, is to be a resource for our customers and clients...and our custom shop is that resource because there is very little that we can't figure out how to make. I guess this is why we continue to invest in our custom capabilities.

I was thinking of the top three or four things we try to do:

· Spend time with you understanding the custom needs of you or your client

· Provide quality concept sketches that will help instill confidence and vision

· Create heirloom quality hand-made furnishings at reasonable prices

· Complete your order in 2 to 3 weeks…or sooner if we can

Our custom business is thriving. And whether we are altering an item from our product portfolio, or collaborating with you on a one-of-a-kind masterpiece…our single focus is to make it work for you! So thank you! Thank you for allowing us to serve you!

Corky Baker
President